This invention relates generally to toy phones and, more particularly, to an interactive toy phone that interfaces with a conventional telephone or telephone line such that telephonic signals from the conventional telephone or telephone line may be heard through the toy phone handset or even recorded in memory.
Children desire to play with toys that replicate actual machinery or appliances used by adults. Various toy telephones have been proposed in the art that include lights and predetermined sounds or audible messages. Other toy telephones include tape-recorder type technology for recording an audible message for playback at a later time. Although assumably effective for their intended purposes, the existing devices do not provide a direct interface between a toy telephone handset and a conventional telephone base unit or telephone line that enables telephonic signals to be received and emitted by the handset and selectively recorded for future playback.
Therefore, it would be desirable to have a toy telephone having a handset that interfaces with a conventional telephone base unit or telephone line for receiving conventional telephonic signals. Further, it would be desirable to have a toy telephone that can selectively record conventional telephonic signals. In addition, it would be desirable to have a toy telephone that includes educational games utilizing messages and other data previously recorded in its memory module.
An interactive toy telephone according to the present invention includes a handset having a microphone, speaker, and CPU positioned therein. A memory module is connected to the CPU and defines message storage locations. The handset includes a keypad with a plurality of keys associated with message storage locations. Upon actuation, a recording module in the handset enables an audio message to be recorded in a memory location selected by a user using the keypad. A plurality of illustrations or pictures may be removably positioned on the keypad, such that the identity of a person associated with particular recorded messages may be readily recalled. Upon another actuation of a key associated with a memory location, a previously recorded message may be played back through the handset speaker. In addition, the handset may be interfaced with a conventional telephone base or telephone line for receiving telephonic signals, such signals being emitted through the handset speaker and being recorded in a keypad selected memory location upon actuation of the recording module.
The CPU may be programmed to operate educational games using recorded messages, such as emitting a message randomly selected from the memory module and then congratulating a user if he appropriately identifies the corresponding memory location using the keypad. The CPU may also be programmed to offer a congratulatory message if a user correctly enters a telephone number of the person associated with a selected key.
Therefore, a general object of this invention is to provide an interactive toy telephone that interfaces with a conventional telephone base or telephone line, whereby telephonic signals may be received and emitted by the handset.
Another object of this invention is to provide an interactive toy telephone, as aforesaid, which can record an audible message of a person holding a toy phone handset upon actuation of a recording module and selection of a memory location in which the message is to be stored.
Still another object of this invention is to provide an interactive toy telephone, as aforesaid, which can record an audible message of a person remote from the handset when the handset is interfaced with a conventional telephone base or line.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide an interactive toy telephone, as aforesaid, in which pictures or illustrations may be removably positioned on a handset keypad for identifying the person associated with a recorded message.
A further object of this invention is to provide an interactive toy telephone, as aforesaid, in which the handset includes a tactile construction that is easily gripped by a user.
A still further object of this invention is to provide an interactive toy telephone, as aforesaid, that selectively emits a message randomly selected from its memory and provides a congratulatory message upon an appropriate response by a user.